Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family
Apple updates iPods, now 30 and 80 gigs
Apple, today, bumped the specs on their flagship iPod. Sporting a screen that is 60% brighter than previous models, though no bigger, this thing shines (ha!) at watching video. Speaking of which you can watch up to 3.5 hours of video, or 14 hours of music, on one charge.
Apple has also introduced a number of games to the iPod including: "Bejeweled," "Cubis 2," "Mahjong," "Mini Golf," "Pac-Man," "Tetris," "Texas Hold'em," "Vortex" and "Zuma," which can be purchased at the iTunes Store and will work with any 5th gen iPod.
Also new are:
- Brightness controls
- a new Search and quick scroll feature
- Gapless playback
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dvddesign said 2:43PM on 9-12-2006
I'm not paying for a new ipod to get that search feature. That should be updateable via firmware. Battery and improved screen brightness I can understand, but don't make us pay for search. Please.
Reply
svolix said 2:43PM on 9-12-2006
This represents a $50 price drop per line, too. (I know this because I just bought a 60GB iPod a month ago; arrrrgh.)
Reply
mantis! said 2:46PM on 9-12-2006
Still no widescreen iPod? Meh. I will keep on using my 3G iPod I guess. No compelling reason to upgrade yet.
Reply
andy said 2:49PM on 9-12-2006
nice, still a huge let-down on what we were hoping for, so mch for the widescreen/touchscreen ipod!
the iTV does sound and look pretty awesome though, what are the bets that steve only included it in the presentation to stop us from all saying in unison "is that it?!"
that said, i will be getting a new 80gb ipod, but only cos ive been ipod-less since i killed mine months ago and ive been holding out on getting a new one in the hope that the touchscreen rumours would be true.
if i sill had my original 5th gen ipod with video, no way would i bother upgrading.
Reply
Aron T said 2:53PM on 9-12-2006
No shuffle and nano love?
Reply
Alex said 2:55PM on 9-12-2006
I want the search feature on the firmware update for my 5the gen iPod! It's going to suck if it's only on the new iPods.
Reply
Ernest Leitch said 2:57PM on 9-12-2006
Does the current 5th gen iPod support 640 x 480 video or will I have to not buy one to get that feature?
Reply
Sara said 3:37PM on 9-12-2006
Does anybody know how the student offer (discount on a new iPod with purchase of a new Mac) now works.
The Dutch Apple site is not updated at all. The store offers the 80Gb iPod, but when I order a comp I get the offer for the 60Gb.
The American store is out of wack (after going into the education store any order leads me either to the front page of the website or to the UK education store...
The small print with the offer says it works for mentioned iPods only, but they wrote that back when the 80Gb was a secret....
What are the chances of the offer being updated for the new line-up?
Reply
Jeff said 3:39PM on 9-12-2006
Anyone finding these in a store near you? Chandler store in AZ says no love yet.
Reply
nick said 3:40PM on 9-12-2006
Sold! just bought an 80gig and i cant wait for the iTv!!!!!
Reply
Rob said 3:52PM on 9-12-2006
*yawn* it all a remake of the same old same old. Nanos with colours? Been there. Bigger storage space: expected. Games? Trivial. and the ipod shuffle is just the same thing that looks different and different is better. Until Steve ALLOWS us to have the video ipod obviously everyone wants, he's just playing with our wallets. I still haven't bought an iPod because I don't buy what isn't 1) what I want and 2) isn't what it could be. Touchscreens and bluetooth and four inch screens and lets-get-rid-of-all-the-gizmos-and-put-it-all-into-one-device-kind-of-thinking is thinking different and is techonologically possible. Sadly Steve is only catering to one consumer type, those under 25. Sure I want all the media stuff he is currently giving, but as a 30 year old, I also want and need some other stuff too, and small screens and no quickly Apple-smart integration with other aspects of my life just makes the iPod another thing to make me carry around. Sorry Steve, you're just reinventing what you've already done. That sounds to me like: Thinking Same.
Reply
g said 3:55PM on 9-12-2006
Does anyone know if the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco has the new iPod in stock?
Reply
Derek said 4:17PM on 9-12-2006
So how long will we have to wait for a widescreen/touchscreen iPod now? Because if it's a long time, I'll probably just buy a 5g now.
Reply
Consta said 4:36PM on 9-12-2006
I am tempted to get the 80gig iPod but seriously, why no bigger screen? i guess i'll just keep on also using my 3rd gen(that i bout and two days after that the 4th gen came out) i need a bigger screen! Also why can the movie service be available in Asutralia, i can understand the TV shows part of it, but why not movies? cheers apple, congrats on a great event!!!
Reply
jopari said 4:46PM on 9-12-2006
yeah, the only thing that the 1.2 update doesn't give the old 5gs is the search funtion.
i never even heard of the "quick search" thing until i started scrolling real fast and it popped up. quite handy for finding songs, actually, but not a needed update (not that i'm not glad to have it, or course ;)
but... gapless... sooo amazing. in fact, it's more natural than rockbox ever was-i cannot tell that whether i am listening to DSotM on my cd player or my iPod. :) amazing.
finally, i LOVE the new brightness function-i always thought the iPod's display was always a little to bright for nighttime usage. as for the improved battery life in the 5.5g-i suspect that apple got the 3-hour movie rating by simply bringing down the backlight setting to it's lowest option.
after i saw the redone iPods, i wanted to get one immediately-but after the 1.2 update i am perfectly satisfied with my current one again. i still might get a 2g shuffle though-$79 is hard to beat.
i can't get over the gapless though. :) i wonder how much extra battery life it uses?
Reply
Sam said 4:51PM on 9-12-2006
OK - just updated my 5th Gen, and being honet no search function - yes i have a 60gb ipod and the brightness control will definitely improve the life of the batttery but please - no search function yet? G-Sus!!
By the way, did anyone notice SJ ditched the turtle-neck for a shirt? Personally i was hoping for the new Widescreen ipod - cant personally understand why they improved the resolution BUT didnt better the screen.
Frankly, the new nanos scream MINI.
Reply
Adam said 5:05PM on 9-12-2006
I also hope that these features are added via firmware. My guess is that they will be, because these are all still 5G iPods, but you never really know with Apple...
Reply
Tyler said 6:13PM on 9-12-2006
No the new iPods do not work with the "Mac + iPod" promo. Only the original 5th gen iPods.
Sweet deal. I jumped outta my seat when i read the new games and the gappless playback. Seems apple REALLY paid attention to the people this round of updates! =D
Reply
thefirefuy said 6:41PM on 9-12-2006
WOW...
NICE...
I'm thinking this new [read "soon to be mine..."] 80 GB iPod is going to make a really great backup hard drive for my QuickSilver...
Folks this is your last change to talk me out of buying one...
so lets hear back soon folks...
Reply
Garry said 7:08PM on 9-12-2006
Apple's website says 6 1/2 hours of video playback not 3 1/2 hours.
Reply